Kerry favorite to become Secretary of State

Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., talks to reporters Nov. 21, 2011, on Capitol Hill in Washington. / Getty Images

Longtime Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., seems poised to succeed Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, but no announcement appears imminent in the wake of recent mass shootings in Connecticut, and senior White House officials said that as of this weekend a decision had not yet been made.

Kerry, who is currently chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and has made no secret of his desire for the post since Mr. Obama took office, has looked increasingly likely to earn the nomination since U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice - previously thought to be the favorite to succeed Clinton - withdrew her name from consideration last week.

• Chatter over cabinet picks shifts to Kerry, Hagel
• Rice withdraws from secretary of state consideration

Rice's decision came amid ongoing controversy surrounding comments she made in September about the recent violence in Benghazi that resulted in the deaths of four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens. Now, she is expected to remain in her current post at the U.N. at least until another high-profile cabinet position opens up.

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Susan Rice withdraws secretary of state bid

Kerry's nomination, however, is not a done deal. White House officials told CBS News Saturday there was still a "slight chance" Mr. Obama would name someone else to the post. And amid speculation about who will fill a handful of remaining cabinet vacancies, the New York Times quotes one White House official who expressed "some discomfort" with the notion that the president's second term national security team would be comprised of white males.

There's another possible hitch to a Kerry nomination: It would open his long-held Senate seat, potentially opening the door for Scott Brown, R-Mass., who lost his seat last month to Democrat Elizabeth Warren, to attempt a return to the Senate.

Even so, indications suggest that Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, has no major competition for the job, and many believe he'll be tapped as head of the State Department at some point this week or beyond.

[marilynr43]

Latest word is that Ted Kennedy Jr will be tapped to take John Kerry's Senate seat and he will stay on to be the Democratic candidate in the special election. So Scott Brown faces a big challenge, if he decides to run for reelection. The Kennedy Family name is like Gold to the people of Mass. Ted Kennedy Jr is the eldest son of the late Senator from Mass. He is the son who lost his leg as a kid. He's is an attorney, who was going to run for Joe Lieberman's open seat but changed his mind. He lives in Connecticut, but owns his late father's residence in Hyannisport, along with his brother Patrick. He will just have to change his primary residence to Mass. He has strong ties to the state, so he won't be looked at as a "Carpetbagger". He is very well-spoken and much more appropriate for the Senate seat than Scott Brown, who's brand has been damaged after the "meanspirited" campaign he ran against Elizabeth Warren.

[bobmike81]

great, at traitor as secretary of state....

[logictoo]

Need to check his finances. I think he got more money than Romney. Of course being a Democrat he didn't build that fortune, he married it from what I hear.

[mattrick78]

Great choice. I wish him well.

[baileycccc]

A "Perfect Choice", well done Mr. President.

[bobmike81]

great, at traitor as secretary of state....

[nb12345]

Just perfect, America goes all-in for the full house of id iots

[grumpas]

I can only hope the smarmy Brown loses again!!! The voter in Mass is intelligent enough not to put him in again.